Suvereto: historic village overlooking the sea and the plain of the Cornia river

in Coast, Province of Livorno, Villages 175 Views

Suvereto is a delightful medieval village located between Piombino and Massa Marittima a short distance from the Tyrrhenian coast. From the top of the fortress, located 90 meters above sea level, it dominates the Tyrrhenian Sea and the plain below where the Cornia river flows. The village was a fief of the Aldobrandeschi and then belonged to the Principality of Piombino.

A WONDERFUL PIEVE

The most notable building in the town is the splendid Pieve di San Giusto, a Romanesque church whose current appearance dates back to the 12th century. The parish church is located just outside the medieval walls next to the Porta al Piano. Originally the church was located on an embankment fortified by a round tower as can be clearly seen in the Tuscan cadastre map of 1820. This configuration was changed in 1857 when the walls surrounding the church were demolished.

La Pieve di Suvereto nella Mappa del Catasto Toscano (1820 circa). Progetto C A S T O R E - Regione Toscana e Archivi di Stato toscani. — The Parish Church of Suvereto in the Map of the Tuscan Cadastre (about 1820). Progetto C A S T O R E – Regione Toscana e Archivi di Stato toscani.

The Pieve has a Latin cross plan with a single nave, is rich in marble and has a monumental appearance. Originally, around the tenth century, during the passage of the bishopric from Populonia to Massa Marittima, it was the cathedral and seat of the bishop. The portal with two columns surmounted by lion heads is interesting.

La Pieve di San Giusto a Suvereto. Autore e Copyright Marco Ramerini — The parish church of San Giusto in Suvereto. Autore e Copyright Marco Ramerini

Next to the parish church of San Giusto is the Museum of Sacred Art, the museum is housed in the former Oratorio della Misericordia (Oratory of San Michele). The oratory is a nineteenth-century structure and was built in the area of the ancient cemetery.

Inside the walled village there are other religious buildings, among these, the Church of Santa Maria di Sopra la Porta, the Church of the Crucifix and the nearby remains of the church of San Francesco, with its cloister which today has become the Piazza della Cisterna.

Among the civil buildings, the 13th century Palazzo Comunale and the imposing fortress built by the Aldobrandeschi in the 12th century stand out.